Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Dr Murks was cleaning the room. The room Mr Nephew called the junk room. Dr Murks own room. In the corner there was standing a pare of sticks. Dr Murks took them and hold them in the hand for a second. Suddenly Dr Murks remembered what they are for. For Nordic Walking. Mdm Havanna Maran had even once showed Dr Murks how to use them properly. Dr Murks left the room for small practice.The activity turned into a good time for reflecting a day. And although the day was not too busy Dr Murks found quite many points that were worth to think of.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Some scientists found a huge sweet water body under Darfur region and they say it will end the war, violence, presumed genocide, hunger... in this region. Hmm, what a small thing is needed to end a misery - fresh water source. It sounds a bit unbelievable that it is really there where it is the most shortage. Like a fairy-tale. Just 1,000 new wells and the war is over. Life is so easy and though it is made so complicated.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In Paris they but up a cool city-bike-system and when a reporter asked from the chief of the traffic police - Villu Vane - if the same system would work as well in Tartu or Tallinn or Pärnu he answered: " Maybe, but first we would need good technical network for bikers." Dr Murks would happily take this sentence and throw to the faces of Tartu city government. To the ones that are always monkey wrenches in the works for biking facilities in Tartu.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dr Murks was reading a wanderers book by Hendrik Relve. He wrote that he can never buy any second hand clothes anymore because in nganassaan culture in North Siberia they personalize the things so much that if somebody dies they leave all his stuff with dead body. Although they leave the body and the things just somewhere in taiga, nobody desecrates the final rest place as they thing in the things stays a portion of the persons spirit. If anybody would take even a small thing the spirit will come and haunt in his house - something bad will happen for sure.Dr Murks was a bit looking around in his room and thinking how many different people in this sense are living together with him in the room. Quite a nice and diverse company. But for Dr Murks it seemed nice to be here with all these people who had once also used these madrases from old dormitory, Mother in her sawing machine, Liisi and her carpets, Tea and the desk, Birks and some bags... There are quite few things being belonged only to Dr Murks. The things have their story and the story is going on. Of course the things are made by somebody and for somebody and the maker buts a part of him in the thing. But even for your own old things, the things made by Dr Murks, it is just so great to see that they are not left alone and useful for somebody else as well. It is quite special feeling to see your piece of art hanging on somebodies wall or the cardigan or a cap knitted by yourself (the you lent to somebody and the one forgot to give back and lent again to somebody and...) being in use by people you do not even know. It is like the feeling as you could be in totally different places at the same time. In this sense Dr Murks likes the idea of having a part of the soul in your belongins. The different perspectives of materialism.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tomorrow the Collins family will pay a visit to Dr Murks. The Collins family is a crazy family. They just came to spent the summer in Estonia as any summer recently, 5/6 of them have never visited Tartu. Only Kaie has - the mother and Dr Murks cousin. The other time of the year they are living in England, even Simon for now (the father) - before he was working as an accountant at the same time in Nigeria and Kazakhstan :S. The parents of Simon are lived most of their life in Zimbabwe doing partly developing work. There are also two children. Dr Murks is looking forward to hear some good English again and thinking up the most interesting tours for the gang.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Dr Murks is fidgety. Is he forgotten something? Something made him really anxious. There was something missing. What was the thing he had lost or simply did not remember?Of cause! It is already the blueberry time but he had not eaten any! Had not been in the pine forest in Vigala and had not been picking any of the berries for eating, making jam, cakes or juice. Dr Murks suddenly felt like a small hedgehog in a hurry to prepare for long autumn and winter. The fingers started to move quickly as they were removing the small easily breakable berries from the bush. So, the stuff in mind and the stuff in action. The blueberries had conquered the whole forest. Dr Murks took a troop of picker with and was just sitting on a sod filling the bucket. When the company finally left the blanket of woods everybody were camouflaged with blueberry colors - hard to recognize who is who. A Blueberry family.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

First of all it sounds unrealistic, irrational, then it becomes funny and picaresque. It feels just so great to make decisions and later start think about what and how and why and who and ... :) With Dr Murks it happened recently on Sunday night when he was visiting an old friend, Mdm Svetka. Talking and chatting and suddenly Mdm Svetka asks:- "Do you know how long it takes to make Russian visa?"- "About 2 weeks. Why do you ask?"- "Some old friends of mine invited me to a kayak trip in Karelia in the end of July and I wondered if you would like to join us"- "Hmmm, you are totally correct - I would!"After 12 hours Dr Murks already gave the passport and pictures and signature for the visa. For now it is just two weeks to get a bit prepared for... What a kayak looks like? What is the theory to use the paddles? Where to get hermetic bag, helmet and life vest, maybe some more useful stuff..? How to speak Russian? What would be the good songs to sing by the campfire?To get prepared to be surprised :) and wet.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

There is a need to change. It started probable already more than a month ago when Dr Murks went up to the Institute and got acquaint with overwhelming muttering in the staircase. Then the defense of Bachelor degrees when the board was acting like a can of worms. A visit to psychologist. The tragic death of Dr Murks course mate and his mother.... still do not have the power to write about it. The many angels Dr Murks met on a trip to and from the fjørds. Meeting Mdm Early Bird at midnight on the crossroad in Soup Town and having a little scary discussion about people who give and take the energy from others. The 2h cake-eating noon in the library where the librarian celebrated her farewell party without anybody of us knowing it before - just felt the need to leave after 19 years and 3 months, the brightest person in the Institute. Mdm Anchka going to work in Tallinn for a change. Worry about so many people who look miserable recently.At the same time, Dr Murks has the feeling that everything will solve soon in its best. Nothing is obligatory. Life is borrowed just for a short time and everybody has an opportunity to make best use of it. There is no need to force into something that seems wrong and waste the time for that. Newer know when you see the other people last - use the best time with them.Hmmm, why these last sentences sound so superficial? How to express them that they would not? Maybe just not to say them out but hide them in the actions... Concurrently, it is hard to put something into words anyway, specially the feelings. Still, if one is not able to then it is just a source for stupid misunderstandings and sometimes even anger. Dr Murks reached now the chaos in his thoughts - will quickly end.But resent news from Cam say: "Mangoes and other fruits are the order of the day"; and the wind of changes is blowing irrespective of the chaos.

Monday, July 2, 2007

The Estonian famous Singing Festival took place on the weekend. For many Estonians it is not even a question if you should go there or not. You just go there because it is the Singing Festival. No further comments. This year they estimated 100,000 participants. Of course majority of them were not singers but just people coming to listen, having picnic, meeting friends, standing in a queue for ice cream or barbecue. Just having quality time.As Mdm Sister needs to finish her thesis by August the Knife family had special assignment for the Festival. To question people about their waste management, focusing on how much they separate the different types of waste. So, the Knife-sisters were walking around the Festival ground and surprised people with their unusual questions. The idea was good that as there are so many people in the festival the interviewer can get quite broad sample but they did not take into account that as there are also many friends and acquaintances that you will meet and have to speak to and for not "wasting the time" they will for sure help you and answer the questionnaire.. So, what happens with the broad and nice sample... Mdm Sister needs to write in her thesis "the sample consisted of the acquaintances and of the people queuing for ice cream or barbecue as they had the most time to answer" :S. Nice work!But the Singing Festival. Dr Murks thought he had already long time ago lost these patriotic feelings about Estonia as the one and only home. But still, with all these people together, singing all these old and new songs - the cold vibes were just running down along the back bone. Powerful.